US Clarifies Details of Hormuz Blockade Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. April 13, 2026 An E-2D Hawkeye, attached to Airborne Command & Control Squadron (VAW) 117, launches from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) during Operation Epic Fury, March 31, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo) The U.S. military on Monday detailed the boundaries of its Strait of Hormuz blockade, saying it would extend east to the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, while ship-tracking data showed two ships turned around in the strait as the blockade went into effect. In a note to seafarers about the blockade that seeks to take control of the strait away from Iran, the U.S. Central Command said: "Any vessel entering or departing the blockaded area without authorization is subject to interception, diversion, and capture." "The blockade will not impede neutral transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz to or from non-Iranian destinations." The blockade began at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on Monday. Data from the MarineTraffic tracking service showed the tanker Rich Starry, which departed Sharjah anchorage off the coast of Dubai on Monday heading for China, turned back minutes after approaching the strait as did a second vessel, the Ostria. Those tankers can carry oil and chemicals. However, two oil tankers linked to Iran exited the Gulf on Monday via the strait ahead of the planned U.S. blockade, shipping data from Kpler and LSEG showed. The tanker Aurora is laden with Iranian oil products, while the New Future tanker is carrying diesel loaded from the Hamriyah port in the United Arab Emirates, Kpler data showed. They were among at least eight ships that transited the strait on Monday before the blockade. According to Kpler, an oil products tanker that loaded in a United Arab Emirates port and three dry bulk ships that left from Iranian ports exited the strait while two Pakistani oil products tankers and two dry bulk ships entered the strait. U.S. President Donald Trum